labrat-lab 0.1.0__tar.gz

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  1. labrat_lab-0.1.0/LICENSE +177 -0
  2. labrat_lab-0.1.0/NOTICE +4 -0
  3. labrat_lab-0.1.0/PKG-INFO +238 -0
  4. labrat_lab-0.1.0/README.md +192 -0
  5. labrat_lab-0.1.0/pyproject.toml +67 -0
  6. labrat_lab-0.1.0/setup.cfg +4 -0
  7. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/__init__.py +2 -0
  8. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/cli.py +665 -0
  9. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/client.py +236 -0
  10. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/config.py +110 -0
  11. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/detect.py +43 -0
  12. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/device.py +312 -0
  13. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/discovery.py +135 -0
  14. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/__init__.py +59 -0
  15. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/camera.py +140 -0
  16. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/display.py +152 -0
  17. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/genicam.py +120 -0
  18. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/gpio.py +52 -0
  19. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/http.py +131 -0
  20. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/i2c.py +153 -0
  21. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/mapped.py +105 -0
  22. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/mqtt.py +135 -0
  23. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/nut.py +133 -0
  24. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/scpi.py +415 -0
  25. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/serialport.py +60 -0
  26. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/drivers/sim.py +87 -0
  27. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/experiment.py +295 -0
  28. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/http.py +189 -0
  29. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/hub.py +446 -0
  30. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/ident.py +180 -0
  31. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/mcp.py +169 -0
  32. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/message.py +160 -0
  33. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/nest.py +327 -0
  34. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/py.typed +0 -0
  35. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/rat.py +115 -0
  36. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/record.py +306 -0
  37. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/store.py +176 -0
  38. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/term.py +177 -0
  39. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat/users.py +101 -0
  40. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat_lab.egg-info/PKG-INFO +238 -0
  41. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat_lab.egg-info/SOURCES.txt +56 -0
  42. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat_lab.egg-info/dependency_links.txt +1 -0
  43. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat_lab.egg-info/entry_points.txt +2 -0
  44. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat_lab.egg-info/requires.txt +23 -0
  45. labrat_lab-0.1.0/src/labrat_lab.egg-info/top_level.txt +1 -0
  46. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_bus_drivers.py +346 -0
  47. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_display.py +43 -0
  48. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_experiments.py +210 -0
  49. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_god_mode.py +91 -0
  50. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_identity.py +121 -0
  51. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_mcp_and_cli.py +79 -0
  52. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_message_and_device.py +57 -0
  53. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_nest.py +70 -0
  54. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_rats.py +105 -0
  55. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_recordings.py +93 -0
  56. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_review_fixes.py +193 -0
  57. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_scpi.py +133 -0
  58. labrat_lab-0.1.0/tests/test_users_and_who.py +100 -0
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+ END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
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+ LABRAT
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+ Copyright 2026 Reinhard Jansen van Vuuren and the LABRAT contributors
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+
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+ This product is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (see LICENSE).
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+ Metadata-Version: 2.4
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+ Name: labrat-lab
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+ Version: 0.1.0
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+ Summary: A universal interface for lab automation: a nest server, rats at the bench, one message API over HTTP and MCP
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+ Author: Reinhard Jansen van Vuuren
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+ License-Expression: Apache-2.0
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+ Project-URL: Homepage, https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat
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+ Project-URL: Documentation, https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat/tree/main/docs
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+ Project-URL: Issues, https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat/issues
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+ Project-URL: Changelog, https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md
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+ Keywords: laboratory automation,instrument control,SCPI,GPIO,MCP,Raspberry Pi,test and measurement
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+ Classifier: Development Status :: 3 - Alpha
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+ Classifier: Intended Audience :: Science/Research
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+ Classifier: Intended Audience :: Education
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+ Classifier: Operating System :: POSIX :: Linux
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: Only
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12
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+ Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13
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+ Classifier: Topic :: Scientific/Engineering
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+ Classifier: Topic :: System :: Hardware
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+ Classifier: Typing :: Typed
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+ Requires-Python: >=3.11
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+ Description-Content-Type: text/markdown
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+ License-File: LICENSE
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+ License-File: NOTICE
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+ Requires-Dist: zeroconf>=0.131
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+ Provides-Extra: serial
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+ Requires-Dist: pyserial>=3.5; extra == "serial"
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+ Provides-Extra: gpio
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+ Requires-Dist: gpiod>=2.1; extra == "gpio"
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+ Provides-Extra: i2c
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+ Requires-Dist: smbus2>=0.4; extra == "i2c"
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+ Provides-Extra: mqtt
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+ Requires-Dist: paho-mqtt>=2.0; extra == "mqtt"
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+ Provides-Extra: rat
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+ Requires-Dist: labrat-lab[gpio,i2c,serial]; extra == "rat"
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+ Provides-Extra: dev
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+ Requires-Dist: pytest>=8; extra == "dev"
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+ Requires-Dist: ruff>=0.6; extra == "dev"
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+ Requires-Dist: build>=1; extra == "dev"
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+ Requires-Dist: pyserial>=3.5; extra == "dev"
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+ Requires-Dist: pre-commit>=3; extra == "dev"
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+ Dynamic: license-file
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+
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+ <p align="center">
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+ <picture>
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+ <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="docs/assets/labrat-dark.svg">
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+ <img alt="LABRAT, Remote Automated Testing" src="docs/assets/labrat-light.svg" width="600">
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+ </picture>
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+ </p>
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+
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+ <h3 align="center">A universal interface for lab automation</h3>
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+
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+ <p align="center"><i>Let the rat run the maze.</i></p>
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+
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+ <p align="center">
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+ Control oscilloscopes, signal generators, VNAs, spectrum analysers, power supplies, cameras and more through one API.
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+ </p>
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+
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+ <p align="center">
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+ <a href="https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img alt="CI" src="https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg"></a>
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+ <a href="LICENSE"><img alt="Licence" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/licence-Apache--2.0-blue"></a>
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+ </p>
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+
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+ > [!NOTE]
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+ > LABRAT is in early development. The message API and the configuration may still change before 1.0, and
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+ > each change is listed in the [changelog](CHANGELOG.md).
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+
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+ <p align="center">
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+ <a href="#quick-start"><b>Quick start</b></a> ·
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+ <a href="docs/install.md"><b>Install</b></a> ·
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+ <a href="docs/api.md"><b>API</b></a> ·
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+ <a href="docs/mcp.md"><b>MCP</b></a> ·
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+ <a href="docs/drivers.md"><b>Drivers</b></a> ·
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+ <a href="CONTRIBUTING.md"><b>Contributing</b></a>
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+ </p>
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+
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+ <p align="center">
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+ <picture>
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+ <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="docs/assets/terminal-dark.svg">
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+ <img alt="labrat in a terminal: the devices, a voltage set, a supply described with its live values and limits, a refused value, and stop" src="docs/assets/terminal-light.svg" width="100%">
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+ </picture>
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+ </p>
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+
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+ ## Quick start
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ pipx install git+https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat.git
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+ labrat demo # start a demo lab with simulated instruments
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+ ```
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+
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+ In a second terminal, with the token the demo prints:
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ export LABRAT_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8780 LABRAT_TOKEN=<token>
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+ labrat describe psu
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+ labrat shell # an interactive prompt with tab completion
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+ ```
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+
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+ Connect Claude, or any MCP client, to the same lab:
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ claude mcp add labrat -e LABRAT_URL=$LABRAT_URL -e LABRAT_TOKEN=$LABRAT_TOKEN -- labrat mcp
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+ ```
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+
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+ Every client sends the same message, so curl works too:
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+
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+ ```bash
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+ curl -s $LABRAT_URL/api/v1/message -H "Authorization: Bearer $LABRAT_TOKEN" \
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+ -d '{"op": "set", "device": "psu", "name": "VoltageLevel", "channel": "1", "value": 5}'
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+ ```
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+
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+ ## Ask your agent
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+
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+ With LABRAT connected over MCP, Claude or another agent works the bench the way a person would:
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+
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+ ```text
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+ Start an experiment called filter-check. Sweep the generator from 1 to 20 MHz in 1 MHz steps, take a scope
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+ trace at each step, and tell me where the response is 3 dB down.
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+ ```
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+
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+ The agent finds the instruments, locks them, opens an experiment in your folder, runs the sweep and reads its
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+ own data back. The lab's limits, locks and approvals apply to every request, and every command is logged
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+ under the agent's token. Give it as much freedom as you want ([MCP](docs/mcp.md)).
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+
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+ ## The nest and the rats
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+
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+ <img alt="" src="docs/assets/rat-dark.svg#gh-dark-mode-only" width="110" align="right">
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+ <img alt="" src="docs/assets/rat-light.svg#gh-light-mode-only" width="110" align="right">
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+
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+ A lab has one **nest** and any number of **rats**. The nest is the server everyone talks to. It holds the
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+ tokens, the limits, the locks and the audit log. The rats sit at the benches next to the equipment, and each
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+ one serves whatever is plugged into it. A rat can be any Linux computer, from a single-board computer to the
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+ PC already beside an instrument, or a microcontroller that speaks the [rat protocol](docs/rat-protocol.md).
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+ A small lab can run the nest alone, with its devices plugged straight in.
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+
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+ ```mermaid
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+ flowchart TB
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+ clients["<b>clients</b><br/>Python · MATLAB · curl"] -- HTTP --> nest
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+ agents["<b>AI agents</b><br/>Claude and others"] -- MCP --> nest
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+ nest["<b>nest</b><br/>central server"]
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+ nest --> rat1["<b>rat</b> · bench PC<br/>scopes · supplies"]
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+ nest --> rat2["<b>rat</b> · Raspberry Pi<br/>cameras · SLMs"]
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+ nest --> rat3["<b>rat</b> · ESP32<br/>relays · sensors"]
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+ nest --> store[("<b>storage</b><br/>NAS or disk")]
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+ ```
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+
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+ ## What it works with
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+
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+ | Equipment | Connected by |
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+ | --- | --- |
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+ | Oscilloscopes, signal and function generators, VNAs, spectrum analysers, power supplies, multimeters, source meters and other bench instruments | Ethernet, USB or RS-232, through their standard SCPI commands |
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+ | Cameras: USB webcams, PoE and network cameras, machine-vision cameras such as Allied Vision, Basler and FLIR | USB, RTSP, MJPEG, GigE Vision or USB3 Vision |
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+ | Spatial light modulators, DMDs and projectors | HDMI |
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+ | Relays, shutters, interlocks, switches and sensors | GPIO pins on a rat |
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+ | Sensors, ADCs, DACs and port expanders | I2C on a rat |
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+ | Pumps, stages, controllers and Arduino boards with their own commands | serial, or a serial server on the network |
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+ | Smart lights and plugs, ESP32 boards and anything on a broker or a web API | MQTT or HTTP |
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+ | Uninterruptible power supplies | Network UPS Tools |
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+ | Anything else with a programming interface | a driver of a few dozen lines of Python |
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+
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+ A bench instrument needs no code. Its commands go in a few lines of configuration
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+ ([drivers](docs/drivers.md)), and simulated devices let you try everything without hardware.
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+
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+ ## Use it from
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+
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+ | | |
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+ | --- | --- |
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+ | **Python** | `Client().set("bench-rat/psu", "VoltageLevel", 3.3, channel="1")` ([clients](docs/clients.md#python)) |
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+ | **MATLAB** | `webwrite` with a bearer token, or [`examples/matlab/labrat.m`](examples/matlab/labrat.m) ([clients](docs/clients.md#matlab)) |
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+ | **AI agents** | `claude mcp add labrat -- labrat mcp` ([MCP](docs/mcp.md)) |
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+ | **Anything else** | one HTTP endpoint and JSON ([message API](docs/api.md)) |
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+
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+ ## Set up a lab
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+
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+ | Step | Where | Command |
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+ | --- | --- | --- |
180
+ | 1 | the server | `sudo ./packaging/install.sh nest` ([install](docs/install.md#the-nest)) |
181
+ | 2 | each bench computer | `sudo ./packaging/install.sh rat` ([install](docs/install.md#a-rat)) |
182
+ | 3 | anywhere | `labrat find` lists the rats on the network |
183
+ | 4 | anywhere | `labrat adopt <rat>` adds one to the nest, with the key the rat shows |
184
+
185
+ Any 64-bit Linux runs a nest or a rat. Good defaults are Ubuntu Server LTS or Debian for the nest, and
186
+ Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit), DietPi or Armbian for rats on single-board computers
187
+ ([which computer and which OS](docs/install.md#choosing-hardware-and-an-operating-system)).
188
+
189
+ ## Questions
190
+
191
+ **Does it replace PyVISA, LabVIEW or my scripts?** No. LABRAT sits between them and the equipment, so every
192
+ script, notebook and agent sees the same instruments through the same limits and locks. LabVIEW and MATLAB
193
+ talk to it over HTTP.
194
+
195
+ **Do I need a Raspberry Pi?** No. A small lab runs the nest alone on one computer, with its instruments on the
196
+ network or plugged in. Rats are for equipment that is spread over benches or needs local USB, GPIO or I2C.
197
+
198
+ **Is it safe to let an agent drive real equipment?** The guardrails are yours to set: limits on every
199
+ setting, locks, requests that wait for a person, and one stop that puts the whole lab in its safe state. A
200
+ rat that loses the nest does the same by itself.
201
+
202
+ **Is there a web dashboard?** Not yet. The terminal, the Python client and MCP cover everything today, and a
203
+ dashboard will use the same API.
204
+
205
+ **Can two people use the same instrument?** Not at the same time, if they lock it. `labrat lock` makes a
206
+ device yours until you let go, `labrat who` shows who holds what, and `require_lock` makes a lock necessary
207
+ before any change. People are added with `labrat user add`, with no restart.
208
+
209
+ **Where does my data go?** Wherever you point it: a local disk or a NAS, in a folder per person and
210
+ experiment ([experiments](docs/experiments.md)).
211
+
212
+ ## Documentation
213
+
214
+ | | |
215
+ | --- | --- |
216
+ | [Architecture](docs/architecture.md) | the nest, rats, messages and how they find each other |
217
+ | [Install](docs/install.md) | hardware, operating systems, the nest and the rats |
218
+ | [Configuration](docs/configuration.md) | `nest.toml`, `rat.toml`, devices, limits and tokens |
219
+ | [Message API](docs/api.md) | every operation, error code and route |
220
+ | [Rat protocol](docs/rat-protocol.md) | what firmware must do to be a rat, for ESP32 and other boards |
221
+ | [Clients](docs/clients.md) | Python, MATLAB, curl, JavaScript and LabVIEW |
222
+ | [MCP](docs/mcp.md) | AI agents through the Model Context Protocol |
223
+ | [Drivers](docs/drivers.md) | the built-in drivers and how to write one |
224
+ | [Recordings](docs/recordings.md) | readings, waveforms and streams written to storage on a schedule |
225
+ | [Experiments](docs/experiments.md) | each person's work in their own folder, with its commands, settings, notes and recordings |
226
+ | [Names and selectors](docs/naming.md) | ids, identities, the standard kinds, and finding devices by type, maker or serial |
227
+ | [Safety and security](docs/safety.md) | limits, safe states, the watchdog, tokens and the network |
228
+ | [Roadmap](docs/roadmap.md) | what comes next |
229
+
230
+ ## Contributing
231
+
232
+ Drivers, client libraries, documentation and bug reports are all welcome. [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)
233
+ explains the workflow and the house rules. A maintainer reviews every pull request, with an automated review
234
+ as advice on branches of this repository. Report security issues privately, as [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) describes.
235
+
236
+ ## Licence
237
+
238
+ LABRAT is released under the [Apache License 2.0](LICENSE).
@@ -0,0 +1,192 @@
1
+ <p align="center">
2
+ <picture>
3
+ <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="docs/assets/labrat-dark.svg">
4
+ <img alt="LABRAT, Remote Automated Testing" src="docs/assets/labrat-light.svg" width="600">
5
+ </picture>
6
+ </p>
7
+
8
+ <h3 align="center">A universal interface for lab automation</h3>
9
+
10
+ <p align="center"><i>Let the rat run the maze.</i></p>
11
+
12
+ <p align="center">
13
+ Control oscilloscopes, signal generators, VNAs, spectrum analysers, power supplies, cameras and more through one API.
14
+ </p>
15
+
16
+ <p align="center">
17
+ <a href="https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img alt="CI" src="https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg"></a>
18
+ <a href="LICENSE"><img alt="Licence" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/licence-Apache--2.0-blue"></a>
19
+ </p>
20
+
21
+ > [!NOTE]
22
+ > LABRAT is in early development. The message API and the configuration may still change before 1.0, and
23
+ > each change is listed in the [changelog](CHANGELOG.md).
24
+
25
+ <p align="center">
26
+ <a href="#quick-start"><b>Quick start</b></a> ·
27
+ <a href="docs/install.md"><b>Install</b></a> ·
28
+ <a href="docs/api.md"><b>API</b></a> ·
29
+ <a href="docs/mcp.md"><b>MCP</b></a> ·
30
+ <a href="docs/drivers.md"><b>Drivers</b></a> ·
31
+ <a href="CONTRIBUTING.md"><b>Contributing</b></a>
32
+ </p>
33
+
34
+ <p align="center">
35
+ <picture>
36
+ <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="docs/assets/terminal-dark.svg">
37
+ <img alt="labrat in a terminal: the devices, a voltage set, a supply described with its live values and limits, a refused value, and stop" src="docs/assets/terminal-light.svg" width="100%">
38
+ </picture>
39
+ </p>
40
+
41
+ ## Quick start
42
+
43
+ ```bash
44
+ pipx install git+https://github.com/reinhardjvv/labrat.git
45
+ labrat demo # start a demo lab with simulated instruments
46
+ ```
47
+
48
+ In a second terminal, with the token the demo prints:
49
+
50
+ ```bash
51
+ export LABRAT_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8780 LABRAT_TOKEN=<token>
52
+ labrat describe psu
53
+ labrat shell # an interactive prompt with tab completion
54
+ ```
55
+
56
+ Connect Claude, or any MCP client, to the same lab:
57
+
58
+ ```bash
59
+ claude mcp add labrat -e LABRAT_URL=$LABRAT_URL -e LABRAT_TOKEN=$LABRAT_TOKEN -- labrat mcp
60
+ ```
61
+
62
+ Every client sends the same message, so curl works too:
63
+
64
+ ```bash
65
+ curl -s $LABRAT_URL/api/v1/message -H "Authorization: Bearer $LABRAT_TOKEN" \
66
+ -d '{"op": "set", "device": "psu", "name": "VoltageLevel", "channel": "1", "value": 5}'
67
+ ```
68
+
69
+ ## Ask your agent
70
+
71
+ With LABRAT connected over MCP, Claude or another agent works the bench the way a person would:
72
+
73
+ ```text
74
+ Start an experiment called filter-check. Sweep the generator from 1 to 20 MHz in 1 MHz steps, take a scope
75
+ trace at each step, and tell me where the response is 3 dB down.
76
+ ```
77
+
78
+ The agent finds the instruments, locks them, opens an experiment in your folder, runs the sweep and reads its
79
+ own data back. The lab's limits, locks and approvals apply to every request, and every command is logged
80
+ under the agent's token. Give it as much freedom as you want ([MCP](docs/mcp.md)).
81
+
82
+ ## The nest and the rats
83
+
84
+ <img alt="" src="docs/assets/rat-dark.svg#gh-dark-mode-only" width="110" align="right">
85
+ <img alt="" src="docs/assets/rat-light.svg#gh-light-mode-only" width="110" align="right">
86
+
87
+ A lab has one **nest** and any number of **rats**. The nest is the server everyone talks to. It holds the
88
+ tokens, the limits, the locks and the audit log. The rats sit at the benches next to the equipment, and each
89
+ one serves whatever is plugged into it. A rat can be any Linux computer, from a single-board computer to the
90
+ PC already beside an instrument, or a microcontroller that speaks the [rat protocol](docs/rat-protocol.md).
91
+ A small lab can run the nest alone, with its devices plugged straight in.
92
+
93
+ ```mermaid
94
+ flowchart TB
95
+ clients["<b>clients</b><br/>Python · MATLAB · curl"] -- HTTP --> nest
96
+ agents["<b>AI agents</b><br/>Claude and others"] -- MCP --> nest
97
+ nest["<b>nest</b><br/>central server"]
98
+ nest --> rat1["<b>rat</b> · bench PC<br/>scopes · supplies"]
99
+ nest --> rat2["<b>rat</b> · Raspberry Pi<br/>cameras · SLMs"]
100
+ nest --> rat3["<b>rat</b> · ESP32<br/>relays · sensors"]
101
+ nest --> store[("<b>storage</b><br/>NAS or disk")]
102
+ ```
103
+
104
+ ## What it works with
105
+
106
+ | Equipment | Connected by |
107
+ | --- | --- |
108
+ | Oscilloscopes, signal and function generators, VNAs, spectrum analysers, power supplies, multimeters, source meters and other bench instruments | Ethernet, USB or RS-232, through their standard SCPI commands |
109
+ | Cameras: USB webcams, PoE and network cameras, machine-vision cameras such as Allied Vision, Basler and FLIR | USB, RTSP, MJPEG, GigE Vision or USB3 Vision |
110
+ | Spatial light modulators, DMDs and projectors | HDMI |
111
+ | Relays, shutters, interlocks, switches and sensors | GPIO pins on a rat |
112
+ | Sensors, ADCs, DACs and port expanders | I2C on a rat |
113
+ | Pumps, stages, controllers and Arduino boards with their own commands | serial, or a serial server on the network |
114
+ | Smart lights and plugs, ESP32 boards and anything on a broker or a web API | MQTT or HTTP |
115
+ | Uninterruptible power supplies | Network UPS Tools |
116
+ | Anything else with a programming interface | a driver of a few dozen lines of Python |
117
+
118
+ A bench instrument needs no code. Its commands go in a few lines of configuration
119
+ ([drivers](docs/drivers.md)), and simulated devices let you try everything without hardware.
120
+
121
+ ## Use it from
122
+
123
+ | | |
124
+ | --- | --- |
125
+ | **Python** | `Client().set("bench-rat/psu", "VoltageLevel", 3.3, channel="1")` ([clients](docs/clients.md#python)) |
126
+ | **MATLAB** | `webwrite` with a bearer token, or [`examples/matlab/labrat.m`](examples/matlab/labrat.m) ([clients](docs/clients.md#matlab)) |
127
+ | **AI agents** | `claude mcp add labrat -- labrat mcp` ([MCP](docs/mcp.md)) |
128
+ | **Anything else** | one HTTP endpoint and JSON ([message API](docs/api.md)) |
129
+
130
+ ## Set up a lab
131
+
132
+ | Step | Where | Command |
133
+ | --- | --- | --- |
134
+ | 1 | the server | `sudo ./packaging/install.sh nest` ([install](docs/install.md#the-nest)) |
135
+ | 2 | each bench computer | `sudo ./packaging/install.sh rat` ([install](docs/install.md#a-rat)) |
136
+ | 3 | anywhere | `labrat find` lists the rats on the network |
137
+ | 4 | anywhere | `labrat adopt <rat>` adds one to the nest, with the key the rat shows |
138
+
139
+ Any 64-bit Linux runs a nest or a rat. Good defaults are Ubuntu Server LTS or Debian for the nest, and
140
+ Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit), DietPi or Armbian for rats on single-board computers
141
+ ([which computer and which OS](docs/install.md#choosing-hardware-and-an-operating-system)).
142
+
143
+ ## Questions
144
+
145
+ **Does it replace PyVISA, LabVIEW or my scripts?** No. LABRAT sits between them and the equipment, so every
146
+ script, notebook and agent sees the same instruments through the same limits and locks. LabVIEW and MATLAB
147
+ talk to it over HTTP.
148
+
149
+ **Do I need a Raspberry Pi?** No. A small lab runs the nest alone on one computer, with its instruments on the
150
+ network or plugged in. Rats are for equipment that is spread over benches or needs local USB, GPIO or I2C.
151
+
152
+ **Is it safe to let an agent drive real equipment?** The guardrails are yours to set: limits on every
153
+ setting, locks, requests that wait for a person, and one stop that puts the whole lab in its safe state. A
154
+ rat that loses the nest does the same by itself.
155
+
156
+ **Is there a web dashboard?** Not yet. The terminal, the Python client and MCP cover everything today, and a
157
+ dashboard will use the same API.
158
+
159
+ **Can two people use the same instrument?** Not at the same time, if they lock it. `labrat lock` makes a
160
+ device yours until you let go, `labrat who` shows who holds what, and `require_lock` makes a lock necessary
161
+ before any change. People are added with `labrat user add`, with no restart.
162
+
163
+ **Where does my data go?** Wherever you point it: a local disk or a NAS, in a folder per person and
164
+ experiment ([experiments](docs/experiments.md)).
165
+
166
+ ## Documentation
167
+
168
+ | | |
169
+ | --- | --- |
170
+ | [Architecture](docs/architecture.md) | the nest, rats, messages and how they find each other |
171
+ | [Install](docs/install.md) | hardware, operating systems, the nest and the rats |
172
+ | [Configuration](docs/configuration.md) | `nest.toml`, `rat.toml`, devices, limits and tokens |
173
+ | [Message API](docs/api.md) | every operation, error code and route |
174
+ | [Rat protocol](docs/rat-protocol.md) | what firmware must do to be a rat, for ESP32 and other boards |
175
+ | [Clients](docs/clients.md) | Python, MATLAB, curl, JavaScript and LabVIEW |
176
+ | [MCP](docs/mcp.md) | AI agents through the Model Context Protocol |
177
+ | [Drivers](docs/drivers.md) | the built-in drivers and how to write one |
178
+ | [Recordings](docs/recordings.md) | readings, waveforms and streams written to storage on a schedule |
179
+ | [Experiments](docs/experiments.md) | each person's work in their own folder, with its commands, settings, notes and recordings |
180
+ | [Names and selectors](docs/naming.md) | ids, identities, the standard kinds, and finding devices by type, maker or serial |
181
+ | [Safety and security](docs/safety.md) | limits, safe states, the watchdog, tokens and the network |
182
+ | [Roadmap](docs/roadmap.md) | what comes next |
183
+
184
+ ## Contributing
185
+
186
+ Drivers, client libraries, documentation and bug reports are all welcome. [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)
187
+ explains the workflow and the house rules. A maintainer reviews every pull request, with an automated review
188
+ as advice on branches of this repository. Report security issues privately, as [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) describes.
189
+
190
+ ## Licence
191
+
192
+ LABRAT is released under the [Apache License 2.0](LICENSE).